To Smash a Serpent!

The Sons of the Serpent have Captain America as their hostage and have used this to force the Avengers into publicly supporting the racist organization. The Supreme Serpent sees this as a victory that will allow his organization to grow. Captain America, however, doesn’t see it that way and likens the Supreme Serpent to Adolf Hitler and reminds his captor of what happened to him.[1] Left alone, Captain America tries to break free from his bonds but discovers that they are rigged to electrically shock him if he tries.

Meanwhile, back at Avengers Mansion, Hawkeye is trying to have faith in Goliath’s plan to shut down the Sons of the Serpent, but can’t believe they have acted like they are supporting the racist organization’s xenophobic ideals. He is even more upset when Goliath allows two members of the Serpents into the mansion to deliver their next set of demands. After the Serpents leave, Goliath and the Wasp reveal that the messengers were strapped with explosives and were willing to sacrifice their lives to destroy them if they stepped out of line. Goliath then pulls rank, ordering Hawkeye to continue following the plan, assuring the archer that he knows what he is doing. Moments later, another snake-head is delivered and orders the Avengers to be present at the next meeting of the Sons of the Serpent.

At the United Nations, General Chen continues to criticize the American government’s handling of the Sons of the Serpent and accuses them of not practicing what they preach when it comes to freedom and equality. Senator Harrington Byrd tries to explain the 1st Amendment and how the government can’t silence the Sons of the Serpent unless they can prove they have committed a crime, but this explanation falls on deaf ears.

Later, Bill Foster has learned that the Avengers are apparently backing the Sons of the Serpent and is understandably pissed off. When Goliath and Wasp try to explain the situation, Bill refuses to listen and quits his job as Hank’s lab assistant. As they watch Bill drive off, Pym hopes that he is doing the right thing.

Prior to the Serpent’s meeting, the Supreme Serpent is pleased when one of his agents has dressed up in Captain America’s costume in order to convince people to join their ranks. Soon, interested members of the public begin shuffling into the stadium to hear what the Sons of the Serpent have to say. When Goliath and the Wasp arrive, the Serpent Supreme is annoyed that Hawkeye is with them and refuses to start the meeting until the archer arrives. Hawkeye is not present as he is infiltrating the Serpent’s flying headquarters to liberate Captain America. While he fights the guards that remained aboard the ship, the Serpent Supreme becomes impatient and orders Goliath and the Wasp to address the crowd and pledge their allegiance to the Serpents. However, instead of siding with the Serpents, Goliath uses the opportunity to publicly denounce them.

To try and counter this, the Serpent Supreme has his Captain America impostor appear and side with the Serpents. Soon a battle breaks out on stage. While Goliath is busy with his minions, the Serpent Supreme makes his escape. The Wasp tries to stop him but he manages to escape through an elevator. That’s when Hawkeye arrives on the scene after freeing Captain America with the help of the Black Widow. Cap takes on his impostor and easily defeats him in battle. Meanwhile, Hawkeye goes after the Serpent Supreme but is taken, hostage. Luckily, the Black Widow manages to sneak up behind him and take the Serpent down with one of her widow’s stings.

With the battle over, the Avengers then unmask the Serpent Supreme in front of the public. As it turns out, the leader of the Sons of the Serpent was actually General Chen who was trying to turn Americans against each other through bigotry and hate. Goliath reminds everyone that one must beware of the man who sets you against your neighbor.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye), Sons of the Serpent (Tai Chen), Black Widow, Bill Foster, Harrington Byrd

Continuity Notes

1. Obviously, he is referring to the Nazis losing World War II. In the Marvel Universe, this was particularly more violent as Hitler was immolated by the Human Torch. See Young Men #24.

Topical References

• Dated pop-culture references: Yogi Bear, Diner’s Club